Dissociation of norepinephrine turnover from alpha-2 responses after clorgiline.

Responses to intravenous clonidine, a possible central noradrenergic probe, were examined in patients with depression before and after treatment with clorgiline, a selective monoamine oxidase type A inhibitor. Pulse rate, mean arterial blood pressure, plasma norepinephrine, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, and growth hormone were measured. Clorgiline treatment (2.

Treatment of alcoholic organic brain syndrome with the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine: a preliminary study.

The chronic effects of fluvoxamine (200 mg per day for 4 weeks) were studied in ten alcoholic organic brain syndrome patients in a double-blind cross-over design. Complete neuropsychological evaluation was performed as well as measurement of neurochemical changes in CSF. Fluvoxamine produced a small but significant improvement in memory performance.

Neurotransmitters and alcoholism: methodological issues.

This short review examines recent findings on neurochemical differences between alcoholics and various control populations. Particular emphasis is given to clinical variables which affect concentrations of neurotransmitter metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid, and which have to be controlled in order to make meaningful comparisons between various diagnostic groups. The review focuses on two of the major monoamine transmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine, and excludes neurotransmitters and modulators such as dopamine, acetylcholine, peptides, prostaglandins, amino acids and purines, since their significance to alcoholism is currently less well understood.

NIH conference. Alcohol withdrawal and noradrenergic function.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is characterized by signs of overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. Biochemical studies indicate that increased release of norepinephrine is associated with certain symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, and the severity of the withdrawal symptoms correlates positively with the amount of norepinephrine released. In the rat, the brain epinephrine concentration is reduced by alcohol, a phenomenon probably associated with both the intoxicating and rewarding effects of alcohol intake.

Monoamine neurotransmitter interactions and the prediction of antidepressant response.

Clinical studies of monoamine neurotransmitter function in depression have concentrated on individual monoamines without focusing on interactions between monoamine systems. Virtually all modern studies have found significant correlations between monoamine metabolite concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). These correlations should in part reflect interactions between central monoamine systems.

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of ethanol, diazepam and pentobarbital in young and aged rats.

Sleeping time was measured in groups of old and young rats following the intraperitoneal injection of pentobarbital (39.5 mg.kg-1), diazepam (30 mg.

Effects of psychotropic drugs on neurotransmitters in man.

Primary biochemical profiles of antidepressants and neuroleptics are summarized in comparison to their actual effects on monoamine neurotransmitters in humans during the time period when clinical response emerges. Even the most biochemically specific of these drugs produces effects on at least two monoamines by three to four weeks. Interestingly, taking into account relative changes in dopamine and serotonin metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid relates better to the primary biochemical action(s) of each drug than do absolute changes.

Dose-related effects of ethanol on visual sustained attention and event-related potentials.

The effects of acute ethanol intoxication on visual sustained attention were investigated in male social drinkers. Four doses ranging from 0 (placebo) to 1.05 g/kg lean body weight, with periodic maintenance dosing of 0.

Plasma norepinephrine responses to cold challenge in depressed patients and normal controls.

Thirty depressed patients were compared with 39 controls for their plasma norepinephrine (NE) levels in relation to a cold challenge (placing a hand in ice cold water for 1 minute). Depressed patients showed significantly higher plasma NE levels than controls. Unipolar, but not bipolar patients, had significantly higher plasma NE levels than age- and sex-matched controls.

Diabetes-induced changes in monoamine concentrations of rat hypothalamic nuclei.

Streptozotocin-induced diabetes produced marked alterations of monoamine concentrations in several hypothalamic nuclei of male and female rats. Norepinephrine (NE) concentrations were significantly elevated in the median eminence (ME), supraoptic nucleus (SON) and periventricular nucleus (PEVN) in both sexes of diabetic rats. NE concentrations in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and ventromedial nucleus (VMN) of male and female diabetic animals remained unaltered.

Liquid chromatographic assay for cerebrospinal fluid normetanephrine.

A method for quantitation of normetanephrine in human cerebrospinal fluid is described. An amine-specific reagent, sulfosuccinimidyl propionate, is used to obtain the lipid soluble N-propionyl derivative of normetanephrine, which can be separated and quantitated in presence of other biogenic amines by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The method is reproducible, linear, and precise at the relatively low concentrations of unconjugated normetanephrine occurring in human cerebrospinal fluid.

Acute and chronic effects of desipramine administration to rhesus monkeys.

Rhesus monkeys were studied for changes in noradrenergic functioning before and after chronic oral administration (28 days) of the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine (DMI). Decreases in cerebrospinal fluid concentration of the norepinephrine metabolite MHPG were evident following the first dose (5.0 mg/kg) of DMI, but not after chronic administration of the drug.

Adrenal catecholamine metabolism and myocardial adrenergic receptors in streptozotocin diabetic rats.

Adrenal medullary function and myocardial adrenergic receptors were investigated in streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats. The animals were rendered diabetic by a single i.v.

Cerebrospinal fluid corticotropin-releasing hormone in depression: relationship to noradrenergic function.

We investigated the neurotransmitter regulation of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Among 21 depressed patients cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of CRH significantly correlated with urinary outputs of norepinephrine and its major metabolites, and there were trends for significant correlations with both CSF and plasma levels of norepinephrine. These results suggest that CRH may be associated with the dysregulation of the norepinephrine system that is found in desperation.

Cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolite levels in male arsonists.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monoamine metabolite levels were studied in 20 arsonists, 20 habitually violent offenders, and ten healthy inpatient volunteers. The arsonists and violent offenders had been in prison an average of six months before the study. Both the raw data and data adjusted by analysis of covariance for group differences in age, height, sex, and season of the lumbar puncture showed significantly lower concentrations of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the arsonists than in the other groups.

Combined Lithium and Electroconvulsive Therapy: Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Interactions.

The combined use of lithium and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is currently contraindicated, due to reports of associated neurotoxicity and poor outcome. Only limited data are available to explain any pharmacological basis for an adverse interaction between the two treatments. ECT does not alter lithium distribution or kinetics.

Alcohol intoxication in humans: effects on vigilance performance.

Effects of ethanol on vigilance in tasks requiring continuous performance are reviewed. Evidence is presented to indicate that ethanol has adverse effects on both the overall level of performance and the rate of performance decrement over time. The effects on performance level are attributed to nonspecific sedative properties of ethanol whereas the effects on rate of decrement are interpreted as a more specific loss in cognitive processing capacity.

5-HT and 5-HIAA in cerebrospinal fluid in depression.

CSF 5-HT and 5-HIAA were measured in endogenously depressed patients (ICD-9) (n = 23) and controls (n = 11). Distribution of sex, age and body height was similar in the two groups. Non-parametric statistics were used.

Pineal function during ethanol intoxication, dependence, and withdrawal.

Pineal melatonin and serotonin content were determined during one to four days of continuous intoxication, and during the alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The nocturnal rise in pineal melatonin was blunted in continuously intoxicated animals, however this was found to be unrelated to duration of treatment. The initial dependent-intoxicated phase of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome produced a reduction of nocturnal pineal melatonin content with a concomitant elevation in pineal serotonin.

Effects of one-week lithium treatment on skilled performance, information processing, and mood in healthy volunteers.

In a double-blind study, effects of lithium on skilled performance, information processing, and mood were studied in 12 healthy men. Lithium was administered for 1 week and the average, steady state, serum lithium concentration on the morning of testing was 0.8 mEq/liter.